Description: A second key experience I had that contributed to be growing as a future dietitian was volunteering as a visiting volunteer at Ridge Meadows Hospital.

Personal Reflection: Empathy is a key attribute required to be a compassionate and understanding Dietitian. Visiting elderly patients on the Patient Assessment to Home unit at Ridge Meadows Hospital gave me an invaluable experience that I believe helped me to develop as an empathetic listener. Patients staying on the unit where I was volunteering were often in transitional stages in their lives going  from living on their own to moving on to living in group or care homes. This was often very hard on the individuals, and they would often share with me how they were feeling about the transitions they were going through. Although I found it difficult at times to see some of theses individuals upset about their current situation, it gave me an invaluable opportunity to further develop as an empathetic listener, listening to what they were saying, and show compassion for what they were going through.

This experience also enabled me to develop as a patient listener. In addition to people transitioning in their living situations, there were also a number of people suffering from Alzheimers and Dementia. While visiting with theses individuals, they would often forget what they were talking about, or repeat something they had perviously said. This gave me a uniques perspective into how to effectively carry a conversation with such people, allowing them to continue on with their story regardless of if they lost their place or repeated themselves, without suggesting that they had repeated themselves or changed topics.

As a Dietitan I believe the empathetic and patient listening skills I developed Volunteering at Ridge Meadows Hospital will provide a fantastic foundation to build upon to becoming an empathetic and compassionate health care provider.

Specific Competency Indicators Addressed: 

Communication and Collaboration 2.04 E: Demonstrate Empathy

Description: My first key experience was volunteering with the Healthy Start Breakfast Program at Central Elementary in Port Coquitlam. This position gave me the opportunity to work in a a diverse team of volunteers and teachers to prepare healthy breakfasts for thirty children three days per-week.

Personal Reflection: This experience gave me first hand experience working in a diverse team of people towards the common goal of preparing delicious and nutritious breakfasts for children at an inner city school. Overall I feel that this experience helped me achieve some of the nutrition care traits outlined in the Integrated Competencies for Dietetic Education and Practice (ICDEP).

Working in a diverse team consisting of teachers, school board staff, the principal of the school as well as parent and student volunteers, gave me first had experience of what it is like to work in and coordinate a diverse team of people. I believe that this has given me experience developing strategies to communicate nutrition related information with students and other team members, as well as identifying the roles of team members in supporting the implementation of a plan as is outlined in the ICDEP. In this position it was important for me to be able to communicate with different members of the team effectively to ensure that the breakfast was made on time meeting both nutrition and safety standards so that the children had time to eat, and would not be late for class. This allowed me to develop my communication skills as I had to be able to effectively communicate with all members of the team which ranged from grade two students through to teachers and parents.

This experience also gave me the ability to recognize the role of each person in the team and support them in their position. It also gave me a valuable experience to further prove that when everyone, my self included, fills their own role successfully and supports those around them, very large tasks impossible for one person to complete become achievable.

I believe that the experiences I gained by volunteering with The Healthy Start Breakfast Program will prove beneficial as I continue through the Dietetics program, and on to a career in the field.

Specific Competency Indicators Addressed:  Nutrition Care 3.03 D: Identify strategies to communicate nutrition care plan with client, interprofessional team and relevant others Nutrition Care 3.03 C: Identify the roles of team members in supporting the implementation of a care plan.